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The Overview
It
is popularly known that the Qur’ān is the most widely read Book on
the face of the earth today. Different scholars have been
undertaking the task of translating its text from Arabic, the
language in which it was revealed to the blessed Prophet Muhammad,
into their native languages. In accordance to the faith of the
Muslims, the Qur’ān is the revealed Word of Allah, which has been
preserved and protected by the Revealer in its original form. Hence,
one of the marvels of the Qur’ān,
recognised by the believers, is that it precludes any possibility of tahreef
- addition or deletion in its Message.
Several
translations of the Qur’ān clearly demonstrate the effort
of the translator to adhere closely to the textual meaning. This
does not mean that these translations are free from literary,
grammatical or contextual deficiencies. But at least, the translator
seems to
have endeavoured
to convey the apparent meaning. Whereas, other translations are
motivated by political or missionary interest and seek to vilify the
Message of the Qur’ān. Abdullah Yusuf Ali tells us that the latter
type of translations first appeared in the seventeenth century. He
observes:
“Maracci
had produced in 1689 a Latin version of the Qurān…to give the worst
possible impression of Islam to Europe. …Maracci was himself a
confessor to Pope Innocent XI; his work is dedicated to the Roman
Emperor Leopold I; and he introduces it by an introductory volume
containing what he calls a ‘Refutation of the Qurān’.”[1] Yusuf Ali
then informs us that George Sale’s translation in 1734 was based on
the distorted work of Maracci. Yet it was considered a standard
translation in English and received the benediction of Sir Denison
Ross. J. M. Rodwell, a Christian clergyman’s translation appeared in
1861, with several inaccuracies.
Translation and interpretation of the Sacred Text entails heavy
responsibility. If a person embarks on this task without competence
then he may end up offending the faith of one-fifth of humankind.
Competence is determined not by literary expertise only, but also by
the necessity of being well-informed of the era, genre and ethos of
the society, and the occasion of the revelation of ayah
(verse) and sura (chapter) of the Qur’ān in the lifetime of
the Messenger, who was chosen to bear the Message.
There
are however, certain egocentric people, who are so impressed with
themselves, that they are tempted to take a deep dive into
this specialised branch of knowledge
without proper qualification. In order to promote their
non-conventional and conjectural concepts, they aim at segregating
the life of the Prophet from the Qur’ān. If the guidance of the
Prophet is undermined, then this leaves a wide prospect for
interpreting the Qur’ān as it suits their mental complexities. In
the process, they stake their own reputation and credibility by
anticipating certain events with reference to “mathematical premise”
which they claim is incorporated in the verses of the Qur’ān.
It is
not the function of the Qur’ān, for instance, to teach the
architectural surveyor how to produce a plan for building a sky
scrapper. It is not the concern of the
Qur’ān
to pass
judgement
on animal or human cloning, or for that matter, to express an
opinion on every scientific discovery that mankind comes across. Yet
there is a tendency among certain enthusiasts to search in the
Qur’ān any clue they can possibly gather on genes or DNA or other
scientific progress. If they cannot find one, then they let loose
the genie out of the bottle for an imaginative exploration. At the
other end of the extreme, people tend to create an assumed barrier
between science and religion, despite the fact that most of the
genius and resourceful scientists in Islamic history have been very
religious. If the Qur’ānic exhortation, inviting mankind to think,
contemplate and ponder on the Signs of the Creator are heeded, then
the Qur’ān itself opens layers upon layers of knowledge, where
scientific progress is not considered as anti-religion but as one of
the greatest gifts of God to His creatures.
The
Qur’ān adequately explains that it is the Book of divine guidance,
which is based on the final revelation to the final Messenger of
Allah, Muhammad. It enlightens the soul and enlivens the conscience.
It cultivates God-consciousness in every human deed. The Qur’ān
describes its own mission: “…guide to mankind, also clear (Signs)
for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong).” (Q.2:185).
Human
beings are mortals and depend on their existence on the sustenance
and help from God;[2] whereas, God being Omnipotent, all-powerful,
does not depend on anybody. Human beings operate within the
parameters of their limitations; whereas, God being Omniscient,
all-knowing, and the most perfect, does not have any limitations in
His knowledge, power and glory.
Knowledge is one of the greatest bounties of God to humankind.
Knowledge does not have any sect, race or colour. Knowledge has many
avenues and is not depleted with usage. If it is used for the
benefit of humankind, it can lead to the path of progress and
success. But if it is misused to create mischief and bloodshed in
human society, then it can lead to the path of destruction.
There
are certain natural calamities over which humankind has no control
whatsoever and cannot avert their occurrence. Even with the
availability of enormous scientific and technological capabilities,
human progress has not been able to change the course of, for
example, earth tremors, volcanic eruptions, flow of lava, floods,
storms and other natural catastrophes. This in itself explains how
helpless humankind is when faced with certain natural phenomena.
Everything that exists in this vast universe operates within its
orbit of existence. It has been endowed with its inherent nature and
laws. The Qur’ān has illustrated this fact in several of its verses.
Humankind shares its existence with the planets and the galaxies,
with the sun, the moon and the stars of the planet earth with the
seas and the species underneath the seas; with the animals that
inhabit the earth and with the mountains and the minerals. Every
animate and inanimate being with which human being comes in contact
has a real and indispensable existence in the realm of creation.
The
Qur’ān invites humankind towards submission to Allah, whose love,
mercy and compassion prevails over His creatures. Humans, by virtue
of being endowed with the power of intellect, are the best among all
the creatures. God has blessed human beings with all the guidance
they need through the Prophets and Messengers. The last of the
Revealed Books – the Qur’ān – guides them towards the life of peace,
tranquility, contentment and spiritual elevation. But humans have to
pass through several trials and tribulations in life. By adhering to
patience, tolerance, truth and justice, they are promised success
and bliss in this life and the Hereafter. By succumbing to the
illicit animal desires, selfishness, envy, falsehood and injustice,
they spoil their life here and in the Hereafter. It is in this
context that the Message of the Qur’ān has to be understood.
Humans
have discovered, learned,
specialised
and progressed in various fields of knowledge. Within the orbit of
speciality in each field, humans have advanced in medicine,
mathematics, geology, anthropology, physiology, psychology and
several other ‘logies’. The Qur’ān has opened up ways and means
through its constant exhortations to the believers to “think”,
“ponder” and “strive”. But they would be unwise to search in the
Qur’ān, the methods of treating various physical diseases. They
would look foolish to try to find in the Qur’ān mathematical
formulas for foretelling the time and place of earthquakes. The
essential feature of the Revealed Book of Islam is to uplift the
spirituality and to purify the soul. It is this process that could
act as a deterrent to many man-made dangerous afflictions. In regard
to the natural calamities which are beyond human control, the Qur’ān
can lead us to the path of sabr, patience and perseverance,
in the face of inevitable natural disasters that are bound to take
their course, according to the physical laws.
Some
unconventional interpreters of the Qur’ān have sought to use the
Sacred Book for predictions and fortune telling. They add
non-existent complications to the Qur’ānic verses and advocate that
everything in the Qur’ān revolves around a certain number or a
certain formula. This study seeks to expose the trend that started
in the sixties in the modern times, and has since been revived on
the internet by certain ideologues, who have given themselves the
right to be
judgemental
in falsifying the articles of faith of all Muslims.
Members
of this group are adamant at offending the fundamental teachings of
Islam, which are held very dear to the heart of the believers. Of
course they can exercise their liberty and freedom of choice so long
as their abominable mannerism is restricted to their own persons or
to those who are sympathetic to their cause. But when they start
targeting uninformed people on the cyberspace, then their
orchestrated scheme has to be examined….
Yusuf Ali, Abdullah,
The Meaning of the Glorious Quran,
Cairo: Dar Al-Kitab
Al-Misri, Vol. 1, p. xiv.
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